Newsletter

1 for 1 fundraiser aims to help hungry Athenians

Inspired by other philanthropists, Matt Kirby wanted to help hungry Athenians.

Kirby, who owns and operates the Chick-fil-A on Barnett Shoals Road, decided to give away a hot chicken sandwich for each sandwich bought at his store from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Kirby got the idea for the one-for-one fundraiser when he learned about Toms Shoes — a shoe company that donates one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair of shoes a customer buys — during a conference, he said.

“I thought that we could easily do the same idea with food,” Kirby said.

The Barnett Shoals Chick-fil-A is the only location in Athens that will hold the fundraiser.

They’ve partnered with Athens PBJs, the Salvation Army and Our Daily Bread to hand out sandwiches to the people those groups serve on several days, Kirby said.

Kirby’s hopeful that the one-for-one fundraiser idea might catch on in the Athens area, he said.

“Not only Chick-fil-A’s, but we’re hopeful that any other business would follow suit,” Kirby said.

While Athens’ poverty statistics do include students attending the University of Georgia, there still are many people living in poverty around town, said Rene Whatley, the marketing and relations director for the Barnett Shoals store.

“There is a very large poverty problem in Athens,” Whatley said. “It’s undeniable and it’s hard to miss.”

The store hopes to sell about double the number of sandwiches it regularly doles out to customers on Tuesdays, Kirby said.

“It’d be great to hand out 2,000 sandwiches,” he said.

People who buy Chick-fil-A that day will receive a sticker showing that they participated in the fundraiser, and they’ll also be able to see an on-going count of how many sandwiches have been bought that day so far, Whatley said.

The hungry people who come to eat with the group Athens PBJs will enjoy the chicken sandwiches, said Trey Sinyard, the local director of the Athens PBJs.

“Definitely a hot lunch would be preferable on cold Sunday afternoon,” Sinyard said.

The Athens PBJs are a group of college students that hand out brown bag lunches, with items like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, to the needy Sunday afternoons.

“It’s very simple and very meaningful at the same time,” Sinyard said.

For more information about the Barnett Shoals Chick-fil-A and its one-for-one fundraiser, visit www.facebook.com/cfabarnettshoals or call the store at (706) 549-0111.